STANFORD ANSCOMBE SOCIETY RESPONDS TO ATTACK ON FACING HISTORY CONFERENCEMarch 31, 2015The Stanford Anscombe Society (SAS) has recently received notice that a letter is being circulated that contains false and defamatory information about SAS and its upcoming conference.

First, we would like to clarify that the Anscombe Society IS an official student organization registered through the student activities office, and this status has never been in question. The majority of conference registrants are Stanford undergraduate and graduate students.

Second, we would like to clarify that the Facing History conference IS being funded by the ASSU Undergraduate Senate, the Graduate Student Council, and the Stanford Speakers Bureau, because each of these organizations deemed independently that the conference is: 1) an event in which students would like to participate, 2) an event that will NOT discriminate against any minority groups, and 3) an event that encourages appropriate academic dialogue.

Third, we would like to clarify that SAS is in no way affiliated with the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) nor with the Heritage Foundation. We have NOT received any funds from either of these groups.All speakers at the Facing History conference will be well-respected scholars, presenting academic talks on history, sociology, philosophy, and economics:

William Hurlbut, M.D., is a Consulting Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford University Medical Center who has served on the President’s Council on Bioethics. He will share his own experiences as a Stanford undergraduate and medical student during the sexual revolution.

Jason Carroll, Ph.D., is a Professor at Brigham Young University whose publications have appeared in Journal of Family Psychology, Journal of Sex Research, Aggressive Behavior, Journal of American College Health, and the Journal of Adolescent Research. He will present a talk on marriage preparation and the sexual revolution.

Jennifer Lahl, R.N., is a career nurse and bioethicist whose work has appeared in the American Journal of Bioethics. She will speak about the ethics of third-party reproduction.

Catherine Pakaluk, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Ave Maria University who studies the economics of gender and family as well as private education. She will present a talk on the dating economy after the sexual revolution.

Christopher Tollefsen, Ph.D., is a Professor at the University of South Carolina whose work focuses on bioethics and natural law ethics. He will speak about changes in the popular and philosophical understandings of marriage during the 20th century.

To claim that these distinguished speakers are promoting hate speech is reproachable. They have been invited to Stanford in order to share their research, and they deserve more from this university and its students than the libelous commentary contained in the aforementioned letter.

One recurring complaint seems to be that the conference speakers will not be presenting on both sides of the issues and that all the speakers hold conservative viewpoints. SAS’s purpose is to promote academic dialogue on issues relating to marriage, family, and sexual integrity. We bring conservative speakers to campus because we believe that this discussion is not present, that conservative students’ viewpoints are not being represented, and that Stanford students have not had an opportunity to hear a well-supported, academic talk on traditional sexual ethics.

We recognize that some members of the Stanford community were upset by our conference last year, which focused on the definition of marriage. We strongly believe that last year’s conference was respectful and professional to all persons involved (please see the conference videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC91dHdiB6srt5wii0EishSw). Even so, we specifically tailored the topic of this year’s conference (the legacy of the sexual revolution) to minimize controversy and ensure that all members of the Stanford community feel welcome attending. We assure you that this conference has no explicit or implicit message concerning LGBT rights or gay marriage.

Even though this conference will not be addressing LGBT issues, the Stanford Anscombe Society still reserves the right to “define the family as one man and one woman bound together by marriage,” which is guaranteed to us under the principle of free speech as protected by Stanford University and the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. To discriminate against our group and censor our activities because of disagreement with this statement is a gross violation of our right to free speech.

SAS intends for the Facing History conference to be a forum for healthy, professional, academic dialogue on the broad impact of the sexual revolution on modern society. We hope that any Stanford medical students or faculty who may disagree with the Anscombe Society’s stances on matters of sexual ethics and social policy will attend the conference, where they can hear the speakers’ perspectives, ask their own questions, and engage in meaningful discussions with other conference participants.